"I think you're out of your fraggin' mind, oyaji!" A shrill female voice called as the sound of blows to something solid could be heard. "I go through two changes in two months, and now you want to marry me off to someone? Give me a break!" A pair of figures emerged through the fog. One twice as tall as the other, and both seeming locked in combat. Blurs streaked by, lashing out at one another until the smaller figure, a woman with crimson hair, grabbed the larger figure's paw. "I'm going back to China, old man. Deal with it." With those words, the larger figure hurtled through the air. The panda slammed into a stop sign, uprooting it and then crashing into a wall. "I'm gonna find a way to fix it all." The girl sneered before grabbing her pack and turning away. And a moment later, fell right on her face, as the panda grasped the uprooted sign and slammed it into the back of the girl's head. The redhead's vision went black. ------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Half A Woman, Half a Shadow A Ranma 1/2 History in a Bleak Future Chapter 01: Here's Ranma, sort of. ------------------------------------------------------------------------------- The bouncing woke her up. They were moving, that was certain, but as she opened her eyes, all she could see was black and white fur. She tried to shake her head clear of the pain-filled fog and begin to lash out at the thick hide of her carrier. She was shaken into coherency, when she realized that the expanse of fur was attached to her idiot father. "Bakayarou," she cursed her father as she tried to wriggle free, but with her arms caught up in the panda's grasp, she was unable to do much. A pair of gates could be seen as the two moved onward. "Oyaji, damn it, put me down!" The panda grumbled but refused to heed her furious request as they entered through the shoji panels that composed the front door. She growled as she continued to bat at the panda as best as she could, as she heard a pair of surprised cries, one a younger female, the other an adult male. "Come on, Oyaji, you're scaring them out of their skulls!" "These are your friends?" "So a panda coming by is a normal occurance?" The girl was lifted off the panda's shoulder and set down. `Um. I'm Saotome Ranma. Sumimasen." Before the words could even finish coming out of her mouth, she found herself being grasped by the older man in front of her. The aforementioned younger woman came over, and then started to squeeze at her chest. "Uh, Ranma's not a guy, he's a girl!" With that, Tendou Soun passed right out. ------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Ranma looked at the three girls before her, seeming rather nervous. The youngest of the three seemed rather kind, but there was something about her that put Ranma on the defensive. The middle daughter also seemed to put Ranma on edge, but the reason for this was less elusive, and more suprising, perhaps even comforting, if she would stop staring at her. She knew there was something about the middle daughter that she had to discuss with her in a hurry. The eldest, however, seemed to counteract the edginess that practically radiated off of the other two. Nabiki frowned a little as she said, "Some fiancee." However, the other two daughters could tell there was not quite the bite to her tone as usual. To Nabiki, however, the reason for this was simple. There was something very familiar about the new arrival. Not in her appearance, for she was sure she would recognize an amply-built redheaded Japanese woman anywhere. It was nagging at her, as she prided herself on attention to detail. "Nabiki, please, h. she's our guest!" Akane protested, before looking to Ranma. "Would you like to be my friend?" she offered as she extended a hand to the kneeling girl. Ranma paused, surprised at the offer, before nodding. "Great," Akane said as she helped her to her feet. "Why don't you come to the dojo? We could spar, if you'd like?" The two left, entering the dojo. "So do you practice kempo?" Akane asked the rather shy-seeming girl. Ranma nodded a little to her question, then Akane grinned. "alright, how about we do some sparring? I promise I won't hurt you." The two began to spar, each motion smooth, and in Ranma's case, almost too smooth. Akane ended the fight with a punch to the wall, and received a tap to the back of the head as Ranma vaulted over her. Both girls started to laugh, and then Akane said, "I'm glad you're a girl. It's nice to have someone to just spar with, and not one of those blockheaded boys." As Akane left, she did not see as Ranma's expression and posture fell at the comment. ------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Ranma ended up staring at the koi pond, brow creasing softly as she fiddled with the two-foot long braid of crimson hair. "Great. Now what do I do? I mean I look weird enough, but." A voice spoke up from near Ranma. "Ranma-san, would you like to take a bath?" She asked. "Akane's already finished hers." The redhead blinked a bit and sighed, nodding ."Might as well. Arigato, Tendou- san." Ranma took her towel and robe and left for the furo, rinsing herself and washing, before sinking into the water. ------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Nabiki frowned softly to herself, after changing into a bathrobe, heading for the furo. There's something going on here, Nabiki thought, and it's right in front of my nose, frag it. She decided that perhaps the hot water would help her calm down and get her head together. She paused and rubbed at her eyes for a moment as she dimmed the lights. "Going to have to buy sunglasses or something," she muttered aloud as she stepped into the changing room and slipped out of her robe, before opening the door. And before her, was a being that screamed one hundred and fifty percent bishonen beefcake. His body, clad only in the water he emerged from, was sculpted perfectly. Not the hefty build of that austrian actor guy she had watched in that sci-fi movie, but a wiry build like Bruce Lee or the like. But what screamed at her even more were three details, and all of them were above the neck, suprisingly. His long silver hair, cat-slitted eyes (wide with shock, she barely noticed despite her distraction), and sharply pointed ears. ------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Ranma sighed as he stood. He'd been in the water long enough, and decided it was time to get out and face the music. His long silver hair dangled in his face, until he pushed it back, almost flinching as he felt the ears, a harsh reminder of the events a few months before. . . Ranma was slogging through the mud, his body feverish. "Come on, oyaji, neither of us is looking good. We'd better hole up somewhere before we get sicker than we already are." Genma shook his head and grunted in irritation, though Ranma almost suspected delerium. Ranma had seen Genma look worse and worse over the last few days. His complexion went to an almost light green, and Ranma was sure he was as sick as a dog, but the elder Saotome just ignored him and pressed on. The teenaged martial artist groaned weakly as he felt another surge of pain through him, and barely caught Genma as he collapsed. It took another two hours before he dragged his father to a cave, in which both men collapsed. Ranma had passed in and out of consciousness for two or three centuries, before he finally woke to a bowl of water being pressed to his lips by his father. "How long have I been out?" Ranma croaked. A hoarse, grumbling voice answered, seeming distorted as if he carried something in his mouth. "Three days, boy." Ranma's vision was blurry as he looked in the direction of the voice. Genma grunted and sighed. "Relax, boy, rest your eyes. You'll be ok." And with that, Ranma slipped into sleep or unconsciousness once more. . . Ranma sighed. And that's when his life was thrown into the blender and turned on mix. Jusenkyou only raised the speed to frappe. He stood and looked up, only to see the middle daughter step into the room. Ranma blinked and took a long look at Nabiki, not lecherously, but rather, to try to figure out what was setting him on edge. Surprisingly, Nabiki took an equally long look at him. Her own expression was relief, as if having answered a question that was bugging her. That the two were naked didn't matter too much. Ranma was too stunned by the arrival, and Nabiki wavered between admiring the view and rapidly flipping through the implications. She did, however, grab her robe, putting it on quickly as she tossed Ranma the other robe. "Who are you?" She asked. The boy blinked and put on the robe. "I'm, um, I'm Saotome Ranma." "Bull. Ranma's that girl we just saw." "Actually, they're both me. It's a long story." Suddenly the door slid open behind them, as Ranma covered his head with the towel. Akane rushed in and said, "Nabiki, come quick, some weirdo's talking to Father... Who's that?!" Nabiki frowned. "He said he's Ranma. Something weird's going on here." Ranma sighed. "Let me get dressed, and we'll explain it downstairs." ------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Six people sat at the dining room table. Tendou Soun and his three daughters, a fae looking teenager with the hair and ears to match, and a rather hulking figure with greenish skin, tusks, and a pair of glasses. "My daughters, this is my old friend Saotome Ranma, and his son, Ranma." The girls stare at the two figures, one with contemplation, another with confusion, the third with rage. "Ranma's a girl!" Akane protested as she glared at the silverhaired being with distain. Genma looked at Ranma for a moment, before grabbing him by the shoulder and hurling him to the pond. Ranma sputtered as she looked at Genma. "Damn it, Oyaji!" She growled as she splashed Genma, before beginning a furious assault, which the panda struggled to block. "They weren't like this before their trip to China." Soun said quietly, shaking his head. "Genma, you always more foolish than I." He left for the kitchen, returning with a kettle. "So with hot water you return to that other form," He then doused the panda-turned-greenskinned being with the kettle. "It doesn't have to be that hot!" A boiled Genma protested. "And with hot water, you transform into a man again?" Soun said as he tried to douse Ranma with the kettle, barely avoiding it. "Your problem isn't so bad then." He then faced the redhead toward the three girls. "You may have your choice of my daughters as your wife." Akane practically exploded, "Are you kidding?!" Nabiki frowned, about to echo her sister, but paused, brow creasing even more as she looked at Ranma. "I'll volunteer." At this, both other daughters stared at their sister. Nabiki? Volunteering? Ranma fumed. "I do not need a fiancee right now, Oyaji. I'm going back to China to find a cure for both of these curses." Nabiki stepped forward. "Wait. Ranma, can I talk to you in private?" she asked as she looked Ranma in the eyes with a piercing gaze. Ranma blinked, caught by that gaze, before nodding mutely, following Nabiki out of the dojo, both of them ignoring their fathers cheering. ------------------------------------------------------------------------------- As Ranma stepped into the dojo, Nabiki turned around. "Ranma, what curses are you talking about?" she had a sinking feeling she knew, but needed to confirm. Ranma looked down. "Tendo-san, Look at me. I'm a freak in both forms." Nabiki winced as it was confirmed. "Ranma, look at me." She sighed, then pushed her styled hair back, revealing a pair of barely pointed ears, and a slight glint of metal, barely concealed. Ranma blinked. "You. when did you get cursed?" he asked, surprised. Nabiki shook her head. "You don't even know, do you?" She shook her head and sat down, gesturing for Ranma to do the same. "Ranma, about five or six months ago, something started happening. It's been all over the news. Something's happening to people, and nobody's sure what's causing it. It happened to me, and it looks like it happened to you and your father too." Ranma stared at her in shock, and perhaps a bit of worry. "It's not a curse?" Nabiki nodded as she let her hair fall back down to conceal her ears. "Nobody's sure what's happened. Some reporter called it goblinization, but it's not just hit Japan. there's reports all over the world of it happening. Haven't you noticed some other things as well?" Ranma frowned, rubbing at an ear thoughtfully. "Well, I've been able to see a little better. and I keep feeling something else, and I don't know what it is?" Nabiki blinked in surprise. "That's news to me. Something else? You're not talking about ki, are you?" Ranma shook his head. "No, I've been able to feel and control that for years. This is something else completely. Not a part of me." Nabiki did a triple take there. This kid's found the holy grail of martial artists and tosses it aside like it's nothing? What else could it be? She shook her head. "Anyway, we'll come back to that." A sigh escaped her. "Do you know why I volunteered?" Ranma shrugged. "I don't know. `cause you're like me?" Nabiki shook her head. "That's part of it, but there's more." Besides the fact that you're hotter than... whoa, rein in the hormones, Nabiki, she thought to herself. "It's because you look like you need a friend. I don't think either of us are ready to tie the knot right now, but I think I could use a friend like you as well." Ranma paused, then nodded slowly. Nabiki said, "Alright, let's go back. And whatever you do, keep your mouth shut and let me do the talking." ------------------------------------------------------------------------------- "So shall we call the priest, Nabiki?" Soun asked as the two stepped in. Nabiki fixed him with a gimlet glare and said, "We will be married, when we decide." She said in a voice that brooked no argument. Soun caved in easily, but Genma had yet experienced what life with Nabiki could mean. "But the schools-" Genma protested, until Ranma popped him in the stomach, folding him over. Nabiki raised an eyebrow at Ranma's show of violence but mentally shrugged and continued, "We will get married, but when we choose. Neither of us are ready. When we are, we will inform you." Ranma nodded quietly, backing up Nabiki's words, though inside, a swelling of doubt built within his heart. The quartet left the room, heading back toward the dining room, just as Kasumi began to bring dinner out. Akane scowled a bit at Ranma took his seat next to Nabiki. "Here we are, everyone," Kasumi replied as she took her seat as well. The Tendous were surprised at the weird conflict between the two Saotomes, as chopsticks fluttered and blurred between the two metahumans battle for each other's food. "Oyaji, knock it off," Ranma muttered as he continued to block Genma's thieving utensils deftly. Nabiki quirked an eyebrow and asked, "So what's that all about?" Ranma sniffed as he shattered one of Genma's chopsticks. "He claims it's training." He muttered as he ate while Genma moved to reach for another pair. "I think he's just being greedy." Genma snorted. "Foolish boy. Everything should be training!" The graceful and bizarre duel between the Saotomes continued until dinner was completed. Nabiki yawned a bit. "Well, I suppose we should get to bed, class tomorrow and all," she muttered and stepped away from the table, heading for bed. The Saotomes stood as well, as Genma led Ranma to the guest room. "So, boy, what do you think?" Genma asked as he opened the door. Ranma yawned and looked to his father. "About what? Food? It was great." Genma shook his head. "No, Nabiki. What do you think about her?" He seemed to be anticipating his answer eagerly. Ranma sighed and shook his head. "I'm still thinking. She's interesting." Genma sank a little, concealing a sigh of relief. As the elven boy sank onto the futon, he stared at the ceiling, thinking intently. ------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Nabiki sighed as she slipped out of the house, eyes narrowed a little as she stole her way through Nerima, seeking out and eventually reaching her home away from home, a small hole in the wall under an office. The room was filled with the smell of cigarette smoke and dimly lit. She examined the room before slipping into a booth in the corner. Slipping a textbook-sized device out of her pack, she drew a cable out of it, pushing back her hair as she plunged the metal tip into a metallic socket concealed beneath her hair. She then withdrew another cable from the box, plugging a CAT-6A cable into the socket in the wall. She then began to type a few item into the keyboard on the device, causing her vision to blur and an eerie but gentle tone to enter her hearing. The crawling of off-white Romanji crossed her field of vision. TANDom ACCESS Authorization Key: ******** Authorization Key Den#*(*%(*(#*@(%&@ Authorization Key Accepted Local IP: ???.???.???.??? BLANKOUT!)#()@*%(* And then Nabiki zoned out... as ICCE Queen stepped onto the Matrix. ICCE Queen flew through the datalines, moving for the obvious first, as she wandered to /WizeASS: Ahh, the ICCEBitch. What brings you all the way to this side of the ocean? /ICCE Queen: You still mad I crashed that server? /WizeASS: What do you think? /ICCE Queen: Take that as a yes. I'm serious though, Wize. I wonder if you've heard of something called Jusenkyou. There was a pause before the next text arrived. /WizeASS: Not here. I'll get more information, but it's too hot. Meet you at the Boneyard? ICCE Queen was surprised. Must have been some seriously bad mojo to get WizeASS spooked. She kept that in mind. /ICCE Queen: Sure. Wed- Tuesday? I hate time zones. /WizeASS: Yeah, that'll work. L8R. ICCE Queen sighed as she ran a small crawler-virus to search for more information on Jusenkyou as she blazed back to the other side of the Pacific. Nabiki shuddered a bit as she jacked out, rubbing her eyes. "Ugh. Hate that feeling." She muttered as she stowed the cyberdeck away and ordered a sprite, before leaving the club and heading for her bed. ------------------------------------------------------------------------------- For the Curious: ICCE Queen: Nabiki's handle on the Matrix. ICCE stands for Infiltration Counter- Counter-Electronics. IE: A way to break through ICE. I figured that sounded good for Nabiki. Author's note: Yes, for those who know what it is, this is a Ranma story set in the 2030's in a Japan that is part of the Shadowrun world. This is about 2 decades before the election (and assassination) of Dunkelzahn, and not long after the Great Ghost Dance. Ranma, Genma and Nabiki are among the first of the metahumans, but are not the only ones. Ranma's male half is elven, but his female half is human (It was the spring of the drowned girl, and as far as anyone knows, that girl was human). And now, belated... Welcome to the disclaimer! That's right, the disclaimer! Sorry. Seriously, however, Ranma 1 / 2 and related properties are devised by Takahashi Rumiko and are hers and those she has given them to. Shadowrun and related properties are owned by WizKids LLC and those they have given them to. Yahoo! is property of Yahoo corporation and whoever they're part of. All original properties are mine.